Small vehicle snow plow

ABSTRACT

A hinged snow plow blade is reinforced by a vertical brace at the hinge holding the blade and hinge and can be set to selected angles for doing snow plowing.

May 6, 1975 United States Patent [191 Lavoie I SMALL VEHICLE SNOW PLOW [76] Inventor: Rene L. Lavoie, Box 135, Danville Junction, Maine June 4, 1973 Appl. No.: 366,774

12/1954 Germany 37/30 7/1964 37/47 5/1969 [22] Filed:

Canada..,........ Germany Primary ExaminerE. I-I. Eickholt Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harris M. Isaacson [57] ABSTRACT A hinged snow plow blade is reinforced by a vertical [52] US. 157/46; 172/802 [51] Int. E0lh 5/04 [58] Field of Search............................ 37/46-50, 30,

Referen e Cited brace at the hinge holding the blade and hinge and UNITED STATES PATENTS can be set to selected angles for doing snow plowing.

595,202 Pearson et a1. 37/30 4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures SMALL VEHICLE SNOW PLOW The present invention relates to an improved small vehicle snow plow.

Snow plows in general are large and heavy. Most snow plows are detachable from the vehicle that they are to be used with.

It is preferable that snow plows be adaptable to more than one position or shape. The unitary blade snow plow usually has angular controls to deposit the plowed snow to the left or right as desired. Other snow plows even are adjustable to plow a swath through the snow, simultaneously depositing snow both left and right.

In some instances, snow plows are adjustable to a selection of positions, being hinged at their center.

While center hinges are not uncommon, they oftentimes do not provide the structural strength necessary, especially for use with a small truck or automobile, that heavier snow plows for larger vehicles may naturally have built into their construction by dint of their massiveness.

The hinged snow plow may also be adjustable so that it can be retracted to extend no further than the vehicles width. Such retraction is a safety factor when a vehicle is traveling, since it helps avoid accidental misjudgments of distance by the plowing vehicle or other vehicles. A proper hinge requires proper strength. For an effective snow plow adapted to effective plowing and proper strength on a small truck or car, a very heavy snow plow is not really desirable.

According to the present invention, a snow plow has a hinged plow mounting construction that permits versatile plowing without massive plow construction.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be further understood by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the snow plow of the present invention with a vehicle in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation perspective of one blade of the snow plow of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detail of the hinges for the snow plow blades of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a section of FIG. 3 of lines 4 4.

FIGS. 5 a-d are schematic plan views of some blade positions of the blades of the snow plow of the present invention.

Referring now to the figures in greater detail, where like reference numbers denote like parts in the various figures.

The snow plow of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 substantially comprises a frame portion 11 blade portion 12, the blade mounting structure 13 and the individual blades l4, 15.

The frame 11 is attachable to vehicle 16 by attaching the beams 17, 18 at the brackets 19, 20 by means well known in the art. The snow plow of the present invention has conventional lift rings 21, 22, which may be held by chains 23, 24 attached to a plow lift 25, operable by an hydraulic cylinder 26.

On the frame beams 17, 18 are hydraulic cylinder supports 27, 28 having rods 29, 30 which hingeably connect to the blades l4, 15 to extend or retract the blades 14, 15.

The frame 11 is braced by crosspiece brace bars 31, 32 to which is attached the blade brace 33 which is substantially an open truncated pyramid tapered to end at a vertical apex 45.

The brace 33 supports the blades 14, 15 on hinges 34, 35, 36 which extend from the blades 14, 15 and brace 33 respectively and are joined by a hinge pin 37, the brace 33 and blade 14, 15 construction on the hinges 34, 35, 36 are preferably downsloped to aim the blades 14, 15 to cut under to the bottom of the snow.

Each blade 14, 15, as can be seen in FIG. 2, is preferably a compound curve having circular are 38 at its outer edges 39, 40 tapering to a small arc of a circle at its hinge edges 41, 42.

In operation the snow plow 10 of the present invention is attached to a vehicle 16. When ready for use, the hydraulic cylinder 26 of the plow lift 25 is lowered. The piston rods 29, 30 rotatably attached to the blades 14, 15 at hinges 43, 44, are adjusted to set the blade l4, 15 in desired position. Optional illustrated positions may be seen in FIGS. 5a d.

The construction of the blade brace 33 extending the full width of the blades 14, 15 with the hinge pin 37 in contact with the entire brace 33 and both blades l4, 15 provides a structural strength to permit heavy duty work with a maximum distribution of stress. The stress is divided to extend from the apex 45 along the brace 33 to the frame 11.

The truncated pyramidal configuration of the brace 33 further distributes stress over a large area to the frame 11 from any part of that apex 45.

The flexibility of the hinges 34, 35, 36 about the hinge pin 37 permits easy adjustment of the blades 14, 15 and further makes simple the adjustment blades to extend no further than the width of the vehicle 16 either for traveling or for plowing.

The walls of the brace 33 act as a stop for the blades 14, 15 when retracted to vehicle l6s body width, yet the flexibility of the hinges 34, 35, 36 on the hinge pin 37 permits the blades l4, 15 not only to extend beyond the width of the vehicle as shown in FIGS. 5b d, but to assume selected angles necessary for plowing.

The terms and expressions which are employed are used as terms of description; it is recognized, though, that various modifications are possible.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

1. In a snow plow having a support frame, including means to attach said frame to a selected vehicle, a first plow blade, a second plow blade substantially similar to said first plow blade, means on said frame to selectively extend or retract each said plow blade, and a pyramidal open brace means on said frame, said brace means tapering from said frame to a vertical apex, means to hinge the said first and second plow blade along the vertical length of the apex of said brace means, said means to hinge comprising a plurality of hinges on said first plow blade, a plurality of hinges on said second plow blade, a plurality of brace hinges on said brace means, said first plow blade and second plow blade and brace support hinges all engaging a single hinge pin forward of said apex said brace means and blades and hinges all supported by said support frame.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said brace means is in the form of a truncated pyramid.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said brace means are angled somewhat downward.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the out upper portions of said plow blades are somewhat semicircular. 

1. In a snow plow having a support frame, including means to attach said frame to a selected vehicle, a first plow blade, a second plow blade substantially similar to said first plow blade, means on said frame to selectively extend or retract each said plow blade, and a pyramidal open brace means on said frame, said brace means tapering from said frame to a vertical apex, means to hinge the said first and second plow blade along the vertical length of the apex of said brace means, said means to hinge comprising a plurality of hinges on said first plow blade, a plurality of hinges on said second plow blade, a plurality of brace hinges on said brace means, said first plow blade and second plow blade and brace support hinges all engaging a single hinge pin forward of said apex said brace means and blades and hinges all supported by said support frame.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said brace means is in the form of a truncated pyramid.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said brace means are angled somewhat downward.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the out upper portions of said plow blades are somewhat semicircular. 